Improvement in brick-machines



2 Sheets-=Sheet I.

H. n. PHlLUPS, Jr & c. H. WiLLIAMS.

Improvement in Brick Machines. N0.*125,075, Patented March 26,1872.

"Sh 2. PHHLIPS, hr, & c. H. WlLLlKfi? Improvement in Brick Machines.

w 0 MM 5 Q N w w HEB-ESTATES PATENT ()rrrcn.

HENRY D. PHILLIPS, JR, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, AND CARMI H. WIL

LIAMS, OF MATTEAWAN, NEW YORK,'ASSIGNORS TO SAID HENRY D.

PHILLIPS, JR.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRICK-MACHINES.

Specificationforming part of Letters Patent No. 125,075, dated March 26,1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY D. PHILLIPS, Jr., of Trenton, in the countyof Mercer and State of New Jersey, and OARMI H. WILLIAMS, of Matte-awan,in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented a new andImproved Brick-Machine and that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon making a part of.this specification.

The subject of this invention is an improved machine for makingbricks;and the invention consists in the combination of a hollow plunger andadjustable gate, and in a peculiar construction of the molds, wherebythe surplus Water is permitted to escape from the mold while the brickis being pressed, together with the general construction, arrangement,and combinationof parts, as herein fully described.

In most, if not all, of the brick-machines heretofore constructed noadequate provision has been made to allow the surplus clay and water toescape while the clay is being subjected to pressure, the result being,in some instances, the breaking or disarrangement of the machinery andleaving the bricks so charged with water after they leave the molds asto require an unusual time to dry them, besides rendering them liable toshrinkage in a great degree 5 and in most, if not all the machines formaking bricks before made, expensive and cumbrous machinery, full ofvulnerable parts, has been thought necessary to accomplish the objectsought. It is believed that the machine and the parts thereof which arethe subjectmatter of the invention herein described, obviate in a greatmeasure, if not entirely, the many objections that have been raisedagainst brick-makin g machines.

In the accompanying sheets of drawing, Figure 1 represents a sideelevation of our 'invention; Fig. 2, a plan or top view 5 Fig. 3, planof under side; Fig. 4, plan view of mold; Fig. 5, cross-section of same;Fig. 6, front elevation of plunger; Fig. 7, edge view; and Fig. 8, planview of under side of same.

Similarletters of referenceindicate like parts in the, several figures.

A represents an upright cylinder, made from cast-iron or other suitablematerial, the lower part of which is securely bolted to the base B.-Within, and .in a line with the central axis of shaft that is within thecylinderA has secured to it the radial wings F, set at a slight pitch orangle to'said shaft. (See Fig. 1.) That part of the shaft which projectsabove the cylinder, after passing through the guides G, has keyed to ita cam, H, with a spiral slot, a, formed therein. Cast or otherwisesecured to the cylinder A are lugs 12, and between the jaws of said lugsare fitted levers I by a pivotal bolt, 0, in such manner as will allowsaid levers to turnfreely between said jaws. The inner'ends of saidlevers are provided with studs cl, which move in the spiral slot at ofthe cam H, and the outer ends 6 of said levers are bent at an'anglesomewhat less than a right angle, and there are formed on the endsthereof spurs or corrugations f. On the sides of the outer part 0 ofeach lever I is cast a curved track or cam, g. Onto the cylinder A, andbelow the lug b, are cast or bolted slides or guides h, and below saidguides are cast or bolted boxes 6. Springing from the foot of the base Bare brackets J, which form supports for the shafts K, which pass upwardand through angular plates L, and to the upper end of said shafts arefirmly secured the mold-Wheels M, and secured to said shafts,immediately above the brackets J, are star-wheels N. Each mold- Wheel Mis provided with a series of rectilinear openings or molds, k, of theexact size it is desired the bricks shall be. Snugly fitting into andpassing through each box 'i is a plunger or compress, P, which isconnected with a crosshead, m, by the stem or connecting rod nu Thiscross-head is provided with jaws, which receive the lower end of alever, 0, which is bolted soas to turn freely between them, and thecross-head is confined inposition by and slides freely on the guides h.The upper end s, the lower edge of said mold-blocks having angularfaces. The lower end of the plunger or compressor P has a slot, 1,formed therein, communicating or opening into a slide-way, t, formed inthe front surface of the punch or compressor. This slide-way is providedwith a gate, R, which may close entirely, or to some extent, saidslide-way, the openiu g and closing being regulated by the set-nuts wto, working on screw-threads formed on the upper end of the gate-stem y.

Having now described the construction of the several parts of ourmachine, its operation is as follows: Power being applied to the lowerend of the shaft 0 by means of the gearwheels S S, or in any otherdesirable manner, the wheel W, keyed to the shaft 0, is made to revolve,which in turn causes said shaft to revolve. A charge of clay, of theproper consistency, is put into the cylinder A, where, by the revolvingaction of the wings F and the set or pitch whichthey have, (beforereferred to,) the clayis worked down to the base of the .cylinder,finding exit through the opening a into the box 15, the punch orcompressor I? having in the mean time been raised sufficiently touncover said opening by the action of the studs d in the spiral slotaof-the cam H. These studs being attached to the end of the lever I, asbefore stated, necessarily raise and lower said lever as the shaftrevolves. This causes rods 00 (attached to the cross-head m) to beraised by reason of its upper end being provided with astud, l, whichtravels on the inclined surface of the cam g. The lower end of said rodbeing secured to the cross-head, as aforesaid, draws the punch orcompress from the box 1'. The moment the clay is forced into the box tthe action of the studs d in the spiral slots 11 causes the end of thelever 1 to be forced up, throwing in the end 6 thereof, the spurs ofwhich are meshed into the spurs in the end of the lever 0, producing apowerful application of leverage power, which forces the punch orplunger 1? into the box 1' and mold 7c and the clay contained therein,compressing the clay in said molds into a state of great density; saidplunger being immediately thereafter withdrawn to allow the air in saidcompressed clay to expand and also to clear the mold-wheel in time forits next revolution. As the clay is forced into the molds themold-blocks s are forced down until they rest on the slabbed or angularface of the plate L. By the action of a stud, p, on the upper surface ofthe wheel W, which comes in contact with the radial arms of thestar-wheel N, said star-wheel is forced around a distance equal to thedistance between two of the molds 7c in the wheel M. Of course, as thestar-wheel is forced around, the said mold-wheel is likewise forcedaround, both being keyed to the same shaft K, so that, as soon as onemold has been charged, as before mentioned, another mold is presented tothe action of the compressor P, and the mold already charged passesaway, forcing the angular face of the moldblocks 3 up the inclined faceof the plate L until said mold-blocks are by this action again forcedinto themolds, drivingthe newly-formed brick out of the molds, ready tobe removed on an endless belt or by any desirable means.

We should have stated that as the clay in the cylinder is forced intothe box 2', a wiper, Y, keyed to the lower part of the shaft 0, seversthe clay in the cylinder from the clay in the box.

One of the chief merits of our invention lies in the construction andarrangement of the compressor P, which, as before stated, has a slot,1", formed in its lower edge. The object of this slot is to allow anydry surplus clay to escape from the box t or mold through said slot andout of the slide-way when the compressor descends, by this meansallowing the full force of the compress to be exerted on the brickwithout hindrance, and preventing any serious shock and disarrangementof the machinery from the choking of the mold.

- To adjust the slide-way to about the exact amount of surplus clay thebox or mold is like- 1y to contain, the gate R is provided and ar rangedwith set-screw w w, by means of which the area of the outlet may beincreased or diminished.

Another important feature in our invention is providing the molds k witha series of small channels, j, opening from the inside of the molds intoapertures u a, through which the surplus water in the clay may be forcedand allowed to escape as the punch or compressor descends, in this waynot only making the brick more solid, but at the outset getting rid of alarge amount of moisture that otherwise would have required longexposure to sun and air to expel.

We have herein shown and described a series of mold-wheels, compressors,and their several necessary parts attached around one cyl inder, havingsufficient capacity to supply the several molds; and the several sets ofmachineryabovenamedbeingattachedto andoperated by the same shaft andcam, great compactness, and economy of space, and cost of constructionare attained. Of course, if desired, the machine may comprise but asingle set of mechanism and still be on the same principle and possessequal or the same advantages, except as to capacity.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a brick-machine, the molds constructed with channels andapertures, as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, in a brick-machine, of the hollow plunger with thetoggle-levers 0 e, lever I, and cam-wheel H, as and for the purposedescribed.

3. In a brick-machine, the combination of the mold and the pressingplunger with the rods a:, stud l, and cam g, in the manner, and for" thepurpose'described.

4. In a brick-press, the combination of the 7. The combination of apug-mill with the hollow plunger with the adjustable gate, subcam,levers, punch, mold-Wheel, mold-blocks,

stantially as shown and described.

5. In a brick-machine, the toggle-levers o e, in combination with thehollow plunger and the adjustable gate R, as and for the purposedescribed.

6. The combination of the cogged or spurred levers o 6 with the hollowplunger and adjustable gate R of a brickanachine, as and for thepurposes described."

angular-faced plate, and star-wheel, in the manner and for the purposehereinbefore described.

HENRY D. PHILLIPS, JR. UARMI H. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses H. L. WATTENBERG, G. M. PLYM'PTON.

